Under the proposal, truckers with the loads weighing above 80,000 pounds will be able to use all of the interstate instead of being required to leave the interstate north of Augusta for a year to allow a study to see if allowing the greater weight poses a safety issue. Senator Susan Collins says its highway safety groups that have argued against the change. "This issue has been the single most frustrating issue for me in the 12 plus years I've served in the Senate."
"All of us who live in Maine are convinced that keeping big trucks on the highways rather than diverting them to small towns or downtown Bangor or secondary roads makes all the sense in the world from a safety perspective."
Collins says it is clear to her that having the large trucks on secondary roads poses more of a safety risk. "All of us who live in Maine are convinced that keeping big trucks on the highways rather than diverting them to small towns or downtown Bangor or secondary roads makes all the sense in the world from a safety perspective."
The measure is part of an appropriations bill and faces further votes in the full Senate and the House.